Spring operated cross bow



April 10, 1962 R. w. DRAKE SPRING OPERATED cRoss Bow 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 4, 1960 /NVE NTOR Roben W Dra/re April 10, 1962 R. w. DRAKE 3,028,851

SPRING oPERATED cRoss Bow 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed OCT.. 4, 1960 //V VE N TOR Robert W Dra/re United States Patent 3,028,851 SEEING OPERATED CRQSS EGW Robert W. Drake, 2656 S. Trenton Ave., Tulsa, Okla. Filed Get. 4, 1960, Ser. No. 60,359 1 Claim. (Cl. 124-16) The present invention relates to archery generally and in particular to a spring operated cross bow.

An object of the present invention is to provide a spring operated cross bow which permits the shooting of several arrows at one time.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a cross bow which may be constructed with springs of various weights and sizes so that the power of the bow may be adjustable and that the range of the bow can be varied to suit the user thereof.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a spring operated cross bow which is simple in structure, one which may be manufactured in quantity at reasonable cost, and one which is highly effective in action.

These and other objects will be apparent to the user of the bow when taken in connection with the annexed drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan View of the bow constructed according to the present invention, the bow string being shown in relaxed position,

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view showing the means `for relaxing the coil spring so that the bow string may be cocked,

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view showing the bow string in cocked position,

FIGURE 4 is a view on an enlarged scale, taken on line 4--4 of FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 5 is a view on an enlarged scale, taken on line 5-5 of FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 6 is a view on an enlarged scale, taken on line 6-6 of FIGURE 3, showing the bow string in cocked position, and

FIGURE 7 is a view similar to FIGURE 6 showing the trigger in the position in which the bow string is released.

With continued reference to the drawings in which like numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views, the cross bow of the present invention comprises an elongated frame 10 having a slot 12 extending inwardly from one end thereof. A handle 14 has one end fixedly secured to the other end of the frame 10.

An elongated U-shaped bar element 16 is disposed within the slot 12 with the bight 20 adjacent to and spaced from the end of the slot 12 adjacent the handle 14. The bar element 16 has the free ends of its legs 18 connectedto the frame 1t) by a pivot pin 24 for swinging movement of the bar element 16 from the position within the frame 19 to a position swung outwardly from the frame 10 as shown in FIGURE 2.

A coil spring 22 has one end connected by a pivot pin 26 to the legs 18 of the element 16 and has its other end connected to adjacent ends of a pair of links 28 which have their other ends connected, one each, to the adjacent ends of a pair of levers 30 and 32 mounted intermediate their ends upon a cross frame element A34 iixedly secured to the adjacent end of the frame 10.

A bow string 36 extends between and has its ends connected to the other ends of the levers 30 and 32.

A rigid wire loop 38 is carried on an intermediate part of the bow string 36 and is engageable with a block 40 mounted in the slot 12 adjacent the handle 14 and con nected to the frame 10 for pivotal movement from the cocked position shown in FIGURE 6 to the released po-k sition shown in FIGURE 7.

The block 40 is connected by a pivot pin 42 to the frame 10 and a spring 44 normally urges the block 40 to the cocked position shown in FIGURE 6.

A trigger 46 is connected by another pivot pin 48 to the frame 19 for rocking movement about the pin 43 as an axis. A link S0 has one end connected by a pin 49 to one end of the trigger 46 and the other end connected by a pin S1 to the block 40 for eliecting rocking movement of the block 4i? responsive to rocking movement of the trigger 46. As seen most clearly in FIGS. 6 and 7, when the block 4% is in the cocked position of FIG. 6, the pivot pins 48, 49, and 51 are in an over center position which etectively prevents movement of the block 40 in the counterclockwise direction to the position of FIG. 7 in which the bow string 36 is released.

A spring 52 has one end connected to the trigger 46 and the other end connected to the frame 1i) and urges the trigger 46 to the forward position shown in FIG- URE 6.

In use, the bar element 16 is shifted to the position shown in FIGURE 2 to relax the spring 22 so that the bow string 36 may be pulled from the position shown in FIGURE 1 to the position shown in FIGURE 3 and the loop 38 manipulated so that its bightis seated in the notch 54 provided in the upper end of the block 40. Next, the bar element 16 is shiftedA to the position within the slot 12 by grasping the handle 56 and moving it Ifrom the full line position to the dotted line position shown in FIGURE 2. This puts tension on the spring 22 so that when the trigger 46 is pulled and the block 40 is tilted, the loop 3S is released and the bow string 36 is pulled forwardly under the tension of the spring 22 to discharge an arrow 58 having one end engaged by the bow string 36.

The element 34- is provided with a resilient member 6i) which protects the arrow as it slides thereover, as shown in FIGURE 5. As shown in FIGURE 4, the bow string 36 has its ends secured by clevises 62 to the adjacent ends of the lever 30 and 32, respectively, as shown with respect to the lever 30.

While only a preferred form of the invention is shown and described it is contemplated that other forms may be constructed and numerous changes and modification made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forthin the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

A spring operated cross bow comprising an elongated frame having a slot extending inwardly from one end thereof, a handle having one end .fixed to the other end of said frame, an elongated U-shaped bar element disposed within said slot with the bight adjacent to and spaced from the end of the slot adjacent said handle and having the free ends of the legs thereof connected to said frame for pivotal movement from the position within said frame to a position in which said element is swung outwardly of said frame, an elongated coil spring disposed bet-Ween the legs of said element and having one end pivotally connected to said element at a point spaced from the bight of said element, a pair of levers each pivotally connected to said frame adjacent said one end, means connecting one end of veach lever to the other end of said spring, a bow string extending between and having its ends secured to the other ends of said levers, and trigger means mounted on said frame and releasably engageable with said bow string, said trigger means comprising a block mounted on said frame for movement in clock-` wise and counterclockwise directions, said bow string be` ing seatable in a notch in said block and urging said block to the counterclockwise direction position, and an overcenter trigger and link mechanism releasably holding said block in the clockwise direction position.

France 1950 Italy Feb. 9, 1953 

